| Location | Dallas in Dallas County, Texas, United States |
|---|---|
| Opening date | 1975 |
| No. of anchor tenants | 3 |
| Total retail floor area | 1,084,528 sq ft (100,755.9 m2)[1] (100,755 m²) |
Southwest Center Mall (formerly known as Red Bird Mall) is a mall located in Dallas, Texas. Southwest Center Mall, originally owned by the DeBartolo family, opened in 1975. It was, and remains, the only major shopping mall located in the southern half of Dallas. The mall's original name, Red Bird Mall, came from the Red Bird area of Dallas in which it is located.
Initially, the mall was anchored by four department stores:
Later, Montgomery Ward added a store near the Sears location, on the same side of the mall as Dillard's, but it was swiftly replaced by a Burlington Coat Factory. Many of the stores in the mall were either opening their first stores in the southern sector of Dallas, or relocated from older shopping centers in the area.
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The mall did well in the beginning, despite its location in the relatively undeveloped southern portion of Dallas. The mall is located near the intersection of U.S. Route 67 and Interstate 20 at 3662 W. Camp Wisdom Road. As early as the mid-1980s, demographics began to change dramatically in the area surrounding Red Bird Mall, and at the same time a perception of crime began to brand the area so shoppers began taking their business elsewhere. And, in 1988, another regional mall--Parks Mall in Arlington, Texas--opened just 15 miles west of Red Bird Mall.
DeBartolo attempted to remodel the mall in 1996, in an attempt to rejuvenate the look. The mall was then sold to NAMCO Financial, a California investment group. It was at this time that NAMCO, in an attempt to attract new tenants, gave the mall a small refurbishment and new name – Southwest Center Mall. The name changed in 1997. A new food court was added under the reign of DeBartolo. The addition was finished and occupied in 1998 at the mall's northwest entrance. With a price tag of $18 million, the food court took up the lion's share of updates; upon its change of hands and change of name. In addition, though, Dillard’s increased their store size from 100,000 to 150,000 square feet (14,000 m2), and Sears renovated their entire store in 1998. Montgomery Ward left the mall when it liquidated, and J. C. Penney closed its store in 2001.
NAMCO attempted unsuccessfully to sell the mall to General Growth Properties in 2004.
The property eventually went into bankruptcy in 2008; then foreclosure, the lender Madison Capital picked up the property, Cityview Commercial was formed as a partner with Madison. A dynamic General Manger formed a partnership with the City, Community and Ownership to assist with the endeavor of turning the mall around. Much progress was made, the General Manager resigned and Boxer was hired to manage the property. The former General Manager is slated to rejoin Southwest Center Mall in April 2011 and is tasked with the final 25% of development and lease up.
Although Southwest Center Mall faced bankruptcy in 2008 and ultimately went through foreclosure. The Woodmont Company was hired by the Bankruptcy Trustee to manage the facility. In August 2008, Woodmont hired a dynamic General Manager which in-turn created a team that truly revitalized the mall. The lender; Madison Capital picked up the property, Retail SWC Mall LLC was formed as a partner with Madison. The City of Dallas hired the ULI (Urban Land Institute) to assess the property and give their recommendations. The City of Dallas then paid to have the six month option to purchase the former J C Penney's building; they did not exercise their option. The former Dillard's building was being built out as a Fiesta Mundo and went into bankruptcy 2011. The General Manger created a partnership with the City, Community, Lender and Ownership to assist with the endeavor of turning the mall around. Much progress was made, then the General Manager resigned; Boxer followed as the management company. The former General Manager rejoin Southwest Center Mall in April 2011 and is charged with the final development and lease up (last 25%). Currently Southwest Center Mall is 80% occupied.
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